Betrothed
by Cinerari
Summary: AU where every planet has a monarchy like La Metal, and the major players of the Leijiverse rule, for better or for worse. When marriage is a game of politics, things can become a bit messy.
1. Betrothed Pt 1

**Okay, so Pride was bad, so we'll pretend that didn't exist. Maybe you'll like this one. Yes, it's equally silly and weird, and it's probably the least accurate representation of how monarchies work, but hey, Great Harlock's here. He's such a good dad. Hopefully I can start updating my actual ongoing fics soon, but I hope you enjoy this silly filler stuff in the meantime.**

* * *

My father was known throughout the galaxy for his stone-faced glare. People called him a cut-throat pirate and a merciless king. I wished those legends were true, at least for me. The side of him I experienced was far worse.

As soon as he saw me amble into the kitchen for breakfast, his eye caught an excited gleam. He stood from his chair and strode my way, while I took my seat and ignored him. Anyone who met him knew he was nothing like what the tales suggested. Perhaps to our enemies he was someone to be feared, but to everyone else he was too kind to be considered cut-throat. Too kind and a bit of a ditz.

Before I could start on my breakfast, he spun my chair to face him. "Phantom," he said, clamping his hands down on my shoulders. "I got you a husband."

I shoved an apple slice in my mouth and stared at him as I chewed. Give or take a couple decades, we almost looked like the same person. His hair mirrored mine in an unbrushed mess, though I had the excuse of just waking up. He only brushed his for formal events. He also hadn't shaved in a few days, his jaw covered in stubble. That eager shine consumed his eye as he waited for me to be equally excited or something.

To his credit, finding someone who would agree to marry the prince of Arcadia was more difficult than it sounded. We needed someone of royal blood who didn't want to see us both dead, and the handful who did fall in both categories weren't too keen on marrying me.

Swallowing my food, I finally bothered to answer. "Is it Zero?"

His expression fell to irritation. "No, it's not Zero," he sighed. "You can't have Zero."

Few people bested my dad the way Zero could. It was consistently hilarious. Every formal proposal my father sent off was returned with a strongly-worded letter.

"I don't even think you really like him," Dad grumbled, crossing his arms. "I think you just like reading his insults."

I nodded as I bit into another apple. "'Too incompetent to raise a decent son' was my favorite."

"Well it's not Zero."

"That Mars prince then?" I asked. "He was cute when we met a couple years back."

Dad shook his head. "Believe me, I tried, but his brother is the king, and he'd probably kill us if given the chance."

"What about one of the La Metal princesses?" In reality, it didn't matter if I cared for the one I married or not. Marriages between nobles were all about appearances and politics. The only times we had to pretend to like each other or even see each other were public appearances. Otherwise we could do what or whom we pleased. But since I had to kiss whomever I married at the wedding, I at least wanted someone I found attractive enough to kiss.

"La Metal is not the sort of place we want marriage connections to," Dad said as his brow furrowed. "And the queen frightens me. Besides, I said it was a husband."

"A'righ'," I said around the biscuit in my mouth. "Who?"

"The duke of Triton."

I blinked. "Jupiter's moon?"

"Neptune's," he corrected. "It was terraformed before Neptune and took to it better, so it was the favored moon of the bunch. Or rather, it was before the Earth king decided to have it blown up."

"Why?" I drawled. I was usually privy to the goings-on of the rest of the major planets, especially within the old Solar System, but this was news to me.

Dad's tone was stale with irritation. "Apparently Triton wasn't taking too well to the Earth king's policies, and then the moon just happened to have a very unstable space station crash into it. It's just a mass of rocks now, really messing up the orbits of the other moons. Since the former duchess of Triton was the one causing the most uproar against the Earth's decisions, it's easy to figure things out from there."

"So this 'duke of Triton' has no actual land to rule." Well so much for my dowry.

Dad attempted to smile despite his furrowed brow. "Yes, his father was rather desperate. They were on Neptune when the bomb hit, though the duchess was not so lucky. Since the father had less royal blood than his son, the son became the duke of a moon that no longer exists. And it's quite possible another 'accident' might befall them because of their status."

"So this father wants to marry his son into our bloodline for protection," I reasoned. We had no alliances with Earth. In fact, the Earth king despised us. I was biased in my thinking, but Arcadia was far superior to Earth in every regard. No matter the forces against us, our military was stronger. Our agriculture was better. Our people were happier.

Dad shrugged. "Protection and to ensure their royal bloodline continues in some form. Without their moon or anything from it to use as a dowry, they don't have much of a chance."

"So what are they using as a dowry?"

His expression softened, his eye wandering toward the skylight. "The transport ship they used to get to Neptune and the remains of their planet. Everything else they owned is gone. They seem like good people. They certainly hold no love for Earth's king."

"I guess that works," I sighed. "I'll marry the poor guy." Besides, I could marry someone else too if I wanted. "I'll get a crown prince or princess one of these days."

Dad snorted. "You have enough power being the crown prince of one planet. You don't need to control two."

I leaned my chair back onto two legs. "But you're too stubborn to die, so you'll be king of this planet forever. You have to give me at least one."

He chuckled, his laughs rarely little more than a breath. "I have to go pick them up and see them safely here, so you get to be king while I'm gone."

I had a feeling he'd already planned his departure before asking me if I would be a willing participant, but I'd come to expect that sort of thing from him.

After breakfast, I went to go inform my other future husband of his new competition. I'd hacked his computer ages ago, and with a quick command a holographic projection of him popped up in front of my desk. He lay on his bed, reading, until he noticed me and gave a violent jolt.

"Oh my God, Harlock," he hissed, slamming the book down on his bedside table. "Quit popping up like that."

"But if I call you, you don't answer."

His eyes narrowed as he stood. The projection followed him through his room, almost a perfect recreation of everything. The colors were just slightly paler to ensure I didn't confuse what was and wasn't really there. In reality, his room and clothes were covered in a deep, blood red. It clashed a bit with his auburn hair. I would have reached out and messed those wavy curls of his if I could.

His bed vanished as he stepped in front of my desk, glaring down his oversized nose at me. "What do you want?"

"I wanted to inform you that I'm getting married but not to worry." I placed my hand over my heart to show how genuine I was. I was always equally genuine and sarcastic for Zero. "They will not be taking your place by any means, and we are still going to get married also. But you should start thinking up a good wedding present for me."

His tone was so dry it rivaled sandpaper. "We're not getting married."

I kicked my feet up on my desk and flashed him a winning smile. "Well not right now. I have to marry my new betrothed first."

Zero breathed a sigh through his nose. "Who is he?"

"The Duke of Triton in some form."

In a rare moment, Zero's anger faded to curiosity. "The moon that blew up?" At my nod, he hummed in thought. "So he's trying to get away from the dangers of the Earth. I see. The king will not be happy."

I shrugged. "The king is never happy with anything we do."

"But having you so close to the Earth bloodline will really piss him off."

I stared, waiting for him to realize a mistake in his wording or laugh at one of his own bad jokes. But he continued to stare off in thought. I felt like I was missing a large piece of a massive puzzle. "What?" I asked at length. "You mean the Neptune bloodline?"

"No, the Duchess of Triton is from the Earth bloodline. She moved out there to be with her husband. She was actually very close to the Earth throne. That's presumably a large part of why she was killed." His eyes flashed to me. "You didn't know this?"

"Dad conveniently forgot to mention it." Me being anywhere near the Earth throne was likely to send the king into fits. The moment he learned I had the chance to marry in, my betrothed's head was even closer to the chopping block than before. "Maybe I shouldn't have told anyone this," I muttered.

"It's not like I'll go tattle to the Earth King," Zero said with a shrug. "But keeping your mouth shut is a good idea. It's about time you figured that out. I can't believe you of all people are going to marry into the Earth line. I swear, if you manage to get that throne…" With another sigh, he left the horrors of my reign of Earth up to the imagination.

According to all official records, Dad left on a trip to build relations with Neptune's royalty. There was no talk of weddings or engagements. Even the staff of the palace seemed oblivious to it. Until that duke arrived safely on Arcadia, no one could know in case the information found its way to Earth.

Dad took our fastest ship, with one of the best warp drives in the universe, according to Dr. Oyama anyway. I believed him. Dad was back in three days.

He strode into the main hall wearing his crown, silver with black stones. He hated the thing, and I could tell with a glance he was itching to take it off. But he earned no sympathy from me. He'd sent a message as soon as he was within range telling me I had to dress properly to greet our guests. My crown was thinner and more intricate than his, making it stab into my scalp. As if that wasn't enough, my suit and cape were too stuffy to ever stand comfortably in. I felt like I was acting in some old-fashioned play with how ridiculous the whole outfit looked.

The pattering feet of the staff filtered in through the walls as they rushed to make preparations. This was the problem with secrets. They kept the staff from knowing how much food to make.

"How does my husband-to-be look?" I asked as Dad reached my side.

"You didn't look him up?"

"I tried. There was nothing about him."

"Ah." Dad nodded. "His parents tried to keep his identity secret due to the Earth Kings habit of not approving of other heirs. I think you'll find him cute." Licking the thumb of his glove, he swiped a stray strand of my hair back in place. I swatted his hand away before he could do any further damage to my pride.

One of the maids rushed in to stand by the open door, her cheeks rosy and her breaths quick. She stuttered through gasps for air. "Um, p-presenting His Grace, the Duke of Triton a-and his father." Confusion tilted her words. I doubted she knew who our guests were until moments before when someone told her what to say.

Dad tried to hide his smile for the poor maid's sake, instead turning it toward our guests. The father came in first, dressed in some sort of sharp black outfit. It appeared to be some sort of Japanese wear, and he did appear to be from Japanese ancestry. He looked far older than my father, though, with white hair and a drawn face. I suddenly worried about how old his son might be.

The man walked forward and bowed for my father and me. Then came the hard click of what sounded like high heels against the granite, and his son walked through the doors.

I saw the duke's robes before I saw anything else of him. The brilliant pink of his formal wear flowed out in all directions and seemed to swallow him. White flowers spun designs across the silk. With each step, his bare toes appeared from beneath the hem along with little wooden sandals. The whole outfit was elegant, though I couldn't say it fit him well. His walked as though he was on an ocean-borne ship, and his skin was so pale it matched the flowers. I could have dealt with all that if not for his age.

It took all my hours of courtesy training to keep from grabbing my dad by the throat and dragging him into the other room. I needed an explanation, and I needed one now. There was no way in hell the boy in front of me was legal. He was so young that he could only be called boy. His shining brown eyes were large like a doll's, and his cheeks were round with youth. He had to be at least six years my junior.

"Maybe we should cut out the tradition," Dad offered with a hesitant smile. "I think the warp sickness is getting to him."

The duke's father turned with a frown to see his woozy son. "I apologize, your majesty. It was his first time warping."

"Well it was quite a bit all at once, so it's understandable," Dad said. "And really, you don't have to use such formalities with me." It was always entertaining when people called Dad "your majesty". A near-invisible cringe twitched through his eye. And there was another name he hated being called just as much.

"Father," I said through a forced smile. I could feel my anger dripping from every piece of my expression, but there was no way to avoid it. "We need to talk about something."

He knew what he'd done wrong. I knew he knew. "You need to introduce yourself first," he said, an equal warning in his voice. The duke's father appeared to notice, his eyes taking on a shade of worry.

The duke, meanwhile, appeared oblivious to everything. His face shone with a sheen of sweat as he inched forward as best he could, his whole body trembling. It wasn't enough to make me pity him, but it was close.

"I'm Phantom Harlock the second," I snapped, trying to grab the boy's attention.

It worked. His head jerked up, which seemed to cause a chain reaction. I couldn't tell with the robes covering him, but it appeared one foot caught on the other. As he began to fall, his hand flew forward to grab the front of my suit. I nearly went down with him, but he was light enough that I managed to right myself. He was a good foot shorter than me, his hands small enough that I bet I could hold both of them in one of mine.

His head hung down, almost touching my chest. "Sorry," he said in a wobbly voice which had thankfully hit puberty.

Then he threw up all over my shoes with a guttural wretch. Every inch of me tensed, wide eyes straight ahead to keep from looking down. No one said a word. No one moved.

The boy broke the silence by spitting away what was left on his lips. He raised his listing head to face me. "Nice to meet you, your highness," he slurred. "I'm Tadashi Daiba."

Despite my father's attempt to turn his face away, nothing could hide the sound of his wheezing, barking laughter as it filled the room.

He was a dead man.

* * *

 **I actually do want to continue this sometime, but the only other chapter I have for it is with a different royal family. Let me know if you like it or anything I guess.**


	2. Destiny Pt 1

**I debated posting this chapter because it's centered around Galaxy Railways characters, and I didn't know whether to make it a crossover or separate fic, but oh well. I'll just tack it on. I've been so busy I forgot I was going to post this somehow earlier, whoops. Anyway, here are my sad train gays. Harlock may not mind having lots of boyfriends, but Manabu has some actual tact.**

* * *

When I was seven, a man broke into my room and tried to kill or kidnap me. I'm still not sure which it was. He stepped on one of the little metal trains I'd left all over the floor, even though Mom said to put them away. I woke once he slipped and slammed his back into more of them. When I yelled at him for breaking my toys, it wasn't a guard who came in. It was my dad. That was the end of that man.

After a week of staying in my older brother's room for safekeeping, Dad made me brush my hair and put on one of my nice blue shirts. "I won't chance someone getting through our security again," he said as I followed him to one of the small meeting rooms. "We got you a bodyguard. It's just for until you're old enough to properly defend yourself like your brother."

The boy standing in the meeting room looked about brother's age, maybe fourteen or fifteen and towering over me. He had such smooth-looking light-blond hair I wanted to reach up and touch it, but those eyes of his kept me hidden behind dad's leg. They were blue like my shirt but narrowed so sharply I couldn't meet their gaze for more than a second. "Manabu," Dad said, placing his hand to my back to nudge me forward. "This is your bodyguard, Bruce James Speed. He'll be taking care of you."

Bruce knelt down in front of me as I continued cowering behind my father. "Your highness," he greeted, his voice as dark as his eyes.

I didn't know what to do. He seemed mad at me, but I didn't know what I'd done wrong. Grabbing my dad's shirt, I buried my face in it and cried.

Bruce never let me live that down.

"You looked scary," I snapped as he laughed at his own story. "You could have at least smiled or something." He loved telling it to the new staff. It made them less nervous around me, even though that was twelve years ago. I wasn't some crybaby kid anymore, but Bruce set all their minds to think it.

"Bodyguards are supposed to look scary," he said, waving his fork around. The new girl who'd brought our food was still giggling.

He could be such a pain in the ass.

I didn't need him anymore. I'd gone through a half-dozen training courses and could get rid of any assassin who might want to bother me. The only thing keeping Bruce around was a deal we made years ago. The moment I could beat him in combat, he would consider me strong enough to be on my own. I'd yet to get anywhere close to taking him down. Hand-to-hand combat, fencing, gunplay – it didn't matter. He beat me in anything and everything.

"I grew up a mercenary," he told me every time I wound up on my back. "I've been fighting to save my own skin for longer than you've been breathing. You won't beat me anytime soon with your fighting skills. Everything is too clean. You've never seen a real fight, and that's why you need me."

I didn't need him. I swore I didn't. Jabbing my fork into my eggs, I grumbled as he continued telling the new girl how harmless my family was. "The king is too soft for his own good. He might look scary, but there's not a mean bone in his body. I'm still not convinced the queen is a real person. She's too sweet. It's that crown prince you have to watch out for."

"No, he likes everyone but you, Bruce," I called from across the kitchen table. Bruce technically wasn't supposed to eat at the same table as us, but he just did one day, and no one told him otherwise. Unless we were hosting some sort of formal event, he could do as he pleased. With his lack of a pedigree, he wasn't even supposed to be eligible for the position of bodyguard, but Dad picked him for some reason. I stopped trying to figure out why years ago.

"I don't know what I did to offend that brother of yours so much," he said, eyes rolled up in thought. When he wasn't looking my way, I often found myself staring at them. They were like the ocean before a storm, a dark, striking blue. I never could decide whether they were beautiful or ugly.

When they turned back my way, I blinked and shot my gaze to my food. "You got another letter from a suitor overnight," he said. "Did you want to read it?"

I still wasn't convinced going through my mail was a necessity for a bodyguard. The only people who sent letters were suitors so they could sign it and stamp it with the family seal, and he knew how I liked breaking the wax seals.

"Is it worth reading?" I asked.

"Only if you want to marry the king of a desert planet."

I stuck out my tongue and shoved another forkful of eggs in my mouth.

Bruce smiled. "To be fair, he's at least not ugly."

I shook my head so fast wisps of hair brushed my face. "I don't want to live anywhere but Destiny," I sighed.

Bruce folded his arms across his chest, his expression plain. "I don't blame you. Since this planet's resources are nice enough to provide a hefty dowry, that's probably the only reason they're interested at all. Those are the sort of people I would avoid."

I rested my chin against the tabletop, glaring at my juice glass. "Why couldn't I at least get a suitor close to Destiny? Someone from this system."

"Anyone who isn't married is too young for you," Bruce snorted.

I had a small mound of letters in my drawer. There had to be something worthwhile in that stack. When I ran my options through my head, I thought of the planets rather than the people. I wanted somewhere just like Destiny, beautiful and clean and filled with the sound of train whistles as they took off into the sky. I needed that sound to get to sleep. But none of the other big station hubs were looking for marriage. "I dunno," I mumbled. "Arcadia seems nice."

"You can't marry Harlock," Dad said as he strode in, wearing his formal clothes as always, even though I was still in my pajamas.

"Because Arcadia's king is a pirate?" I asked through a yawn.

"No, because you have the same great-grandfather." The new girl handed him a mug of coffee, and he sipped it as though he'd just mentioned the weather. Bruce stared wide-eyed, and I squinted in disbelief. "Family secret," Dad added when he noticed our surprise. "Less a secret and more something we just try not to mention. It's for the best people don't think of me as the grandson of a pirate. I wouldn't be surprised if Harlock Sr. forgot."

"Can I just not get married?" I asked.

Dad shrugged. "If you don't want to, you don't have to, but it will be upsetting to the public. You know how much they love marriages. And you will mostly be cooped up here without anything to do. It's not an easy decision."

I already didn't have anything to do. Princes were there to look pretty and eventually become king or marry another king or queen. Since I wasn't the crown prince, my job was the latter. It made my head feel stuffed and achy to think about. I didn't want to be shipped off to some faraway planet. I wanted to live on Destiny, maybe raise a family with someone. That just wasn't how things worked for me.

"It's a stupid thing to whine about, isn't it?" I asked Bruce later, as we walked back from my daily studies.

"What?"

"Being a second prince. There are people out in the world who would kill for my position, but I'm just dragging my feet with the whole thing."

He shrugged. "If something makes you upset or stresses you out, that's just how you feel. Nothing wrong with that. You're not the worst spoiled rich brat, and once you find someone to marry, I'm out of a job, so go ahead and drag your feet all you want."

Every once in a while, he said the right thing. A smile eased across my lips, and I stared at the high overhead beams of the hall. They were transparent like blue-tinted glass but stronger than steel. Royal blue banners with our family crest hung from them. The crest showed a dog's head, stars, a shield, and a train. It gave me a terrible idea.

My hand locked on Bruce's wrist, and I dragged him into a run down the hall. "Come on!" I said. "Let's pack bags for a couple nights."

His eyes sharpened in disapproval, but that wasn't enough to scare me anymore. "What for?" he demanded, though he kept up with my stride.

"I want to go ride a train. It's been ages. Let's go!" Excitement burned in my chest, my heartbeat aflutter. After I came back from this trip, I would make my decision, but I needed one final rush of freedom. I needed to ride the rails I'd grown up with, to hear the sound of a train's whistle and feel the rumble of the wheels underneath.

"Which train?" Bruce spluttered, confusion weakening his attempt to be stern. "Which route? Where are we going? We have to plan these sort of things, Manabu!"

"I don't care!" I laughed as I shoved through the door and into my room. "We'll just pick one and disappear for a couple days."

"This is a terrible idea," Bruce hissed. His eyes went wide as I dragged a duffel bag out from under my bed and raced to my dresser. "It's not safe, Manabu."

I didn't care what he said. I was going. "That's why you're coming. You are my bodyguard. Besides, if no one knows I'm going, no one will be ready to kill me." I wasn't sure what anyone might gain from killing me. Kidnapping me might earn them a ransom, but they would have to go through Bruce first.

He didn't look excited, but he took over when I started to pack a bag for him. "This is a terrible idea," he repeated. "Your father will kill me for letting you do this."

"Everything will be fine," I insisted. "Come on. Let's go catch a good train."

On our way out, I poked my head into my father's study. "I'm leaving for a couple days," I said in a breathless rush. "I've got Bruce with me, so everything's fine. I love you. Bye."

He barely had the time to look startled before I slammed the door and ran, my bag bouncing at my side. I heard him yell "What!?" from down the hall just as I burst through the front door.

Since he wasn't confined to the palace, Bruce had a car. As he drove us to the station, he muttered about how Dad would have the little red thing impounded. "My poor baby," he sighed.

"Didn't you say just this morning Dad doesn't have a mean bone in his body?" I asked.

"Only until it comes to you or Mamoru. The moment he's worried about either of you, he's the scariest thing you've ever seen."

He had a fair point. It was hard to deny when I'd seen him murder a man in front of me.

At the station, people stared and pointed in awe. It was honestly more embarrassing than anything. I just wanted my tickets. Even the lady at the window stuttered at the sight of me. As with everyone else, Bruce threw her a warning glare.

"Hello," I said with a slight wave. I'd never done this before. "I want two tickets to a nice train that's leaving sometime soon and preferably one that I can make a roundtrip with in about two or three days. Oh, and I'd like first class, but only because I want a bed. Is it okay if I go to the second class cars too? I just kind of want to wander around the train."

Bruce smacked a hand to his face as the woman gave a slow nod before turning to her computer. "The 382 is leaving in fifteen minutes. It will reach Helios tomorrow afternoon, and you can take the 1209 to get back."

"Perfect." I smacked down my card with a grin. Bruce gave another sigh.

My favorite part of the station was the platform, always covered in trains of all shapes and colors. They seemed to breathe when they started or stopped. Bruce said I looked like a kid in a candy store staring at them.

The 382 was a sleek little red train, and once I tossed my bag into my room, I raced through the passenger cars and dining car, down to the caboose.

"Manabu," Bruce growled when he caught up. "You're making my job difficult."

"Your job has been easy for years," I laughed, giddy with excitement. When I wandered back to the passenger car, the occupants stared at me with amusement or amazement. I just took a seat there. Bruce threw me a questioning glance as he dropped to my side.

"We could sit in our own car rather than with all these people," he said.

"I want to sit here," I said, and that was all there was to it.

I bounced in my seat as the wheels beneath ground to a start. "We're moving, Bruce," I laughed. "We're moving."

"Are you sure you've grown any since I first met you?" I could hear the smile in his voice, but I was too busy staring out the window to mind. We picked up speed as we rolled out of the station and into the orange sunset. It felt like we were flying before we even left the tracks.

When we did fly off the ramp, I glued myself to the window. The city below sparkled as residents turned on their lights for the night. But the palace sparkled because of that clear blue ore wrapped around its spires. It was far more beautiful from the outside.

"Look at the city, Bruce," I breathed.

"I would, but your head is in the way."

I was too entranced to care what he said. "I love this city. I love everything about it. I could stay up here and stare at it forever."

"You would have made a great king."

Time stopped around me. I'd never heard anyone say those words before, not to me.

Maybe I would have been a good king. Maybe, but this city wasn't for me. It was my brother's.

"Maybe I can learn to love another city," I murmured. The train whistle blew, starting time again. I soaked in as much as I could – the sights and sounds of everything. It was all perfect.

We climbed away from the city and into the stars. Their shine couldn't compete, but they were still beautiful. I watched them as we drifted by, as if I was under some spell. Bruce broke me from it.

"Can we get dinner now?" he asked.

"Fine," I gave in only because I was hungry too. But I stared out the window by our dining car table too. Bruce had to order for me.

"You know," he said, "before the king introduced you to me, he said you were a fearless little kid. I thought he was lying, but then you always surprise me by pulling stunts like this. It's no wonder you needed a bodyguard."

I turned to tell him off only for those eyes of his to catch me. They were softer than usual but just as violently blue as ever. I couldn't hold his gaze, returning to my window. A rush of heat warmed my cheeks.

I had a crush on him when I was little. Mom called it an "innocent little crush." Dad said he supposed it was normal since Bruce was someone new and interesting. If Bruce knew, he never said anything. But that was a long time ago. Princes could not crush on commoners.

After dinner, we ordered a bottle of wine for the room, sipped it and watched the stars. "This tastes awful," I said.

Bruce sat across from me, looking content with the drink. "I thought you might like it for this weird special occasion of yours."

"No, it's gross." I continued drinking it anyway. My money paid for it after all.

Leaning my temple against the window, I stared out and rolled the list of suitor's names through my head again. "Bruce," I said over the rim of my glass. "I don't want to marry someone I barely know. My first kiss will be at my own wedding. When I go back, I'll have to decide on someone, but…" I gnawed my lip. "I want to stay out here forever. I don't want to go back just to say goodbye."

"You don't have to get married, Manabu," he said, his voice soft, almost pleading.

"But what good am I if I don't? I can't just sit around the castle living off my family's wealth and watching Mamoru do all the work. At least on another planet I can be of use on the throne."

Bruce's hand appeared on mine, and my head jerked up to see him kneeling in front of me. His eyes swam with the storm in them. "Manabu," he whispered, his voice close to breaking. "Please don't leave. If you leave, I can't go with you."

My chest ached, but I forced a laugh against the pain. "Of course you can. Why wouldn't you?"

"My contract is with your father. No noble would see fit to renew a contract with a commoner when they could use their own court. And I don't know…" His hand trembled as he reached up, brushing the tips of his fingers against my cheek. "I don't think I could see you with someone else, Manabu."

"It's just for appearances. We won't really be together." They weren't the words I was supposed to say. I shouldn't have let his palm settle against my cheek. I shouldn't have let him stare up at me with those desperate, loving, beautiful eyes.

A long time ago I had a crush on him, an innocent little crush. It never went away. I reached out to him in return and held his face. I wanted to settle down on Destiny with a family, with him, but it was something I couldn't have. My eyes blurred with tears. "I want to stay out here forever," I whispered, my words trembling, "with you."

The weight in his eyes grew, and he rose just enough to kiss me. It made my chest feel as though a hole was punched through it, but I couldn't bring myself to pull away. I tangled my fingers in his hair, as silky as I'd always dreamed it would be. I breathed his air and lost myself in what I couldn't have. His touch left my skin tingling and my body aching. Everything hurt just as it felt perfect.

He told me he loved me, and I cried because I loved him more than I could say, so I said I was sorry instead.

This world was cruel. I couldn't have him, but he was right in front of me. And as long as we were out on that train, I would hold onto him and pretend he could be mine. No matter how much it hurt, it hurt even more to think of letting go.

* * *

 **I got a question in a review, but it was a guest review, so I had no way of replying? In response, mpreg is not my jam haha. If I were to write royal space descendents it would be via test tube. This is the future, after all. But all Harlocks reproduce via budding anyway.**


End file.
